THE Cango bus service in Andover has been nominated for a bus industry 'Oscar'.

The county council's Hampshire Cango has been nominated for the Bus in the Countryside Award in the Claudia Flanders Accessibility Memorial Award in the annual Bus Industry Awards.

The winners will be announ-ced at the London Hilton on Park Lane on 5 November.

The Andover Cango service has been hugely successful, with more than 500 passenger trips being provided each week.

It differs from conventional buses because it operates a far more flexible service which responds to the daily needs of individual passengers.

There are two types of stopping points - timed and bookable. Cango always stops at timed locations, but passengers can also arrange for the buses to pick them up at bookable points.

People can even arrange to have their own stopping points, such as their local pub, garage or shop, and those with mobility problems can have the buses call right outside their homes.

The county council's executive member for environment, Cllr Keith Estlin, said: "The county council has been delighted with the performance of Andover Cango, and our nomination in the Bus Industry Awards is the icing on the cake.

"We've had some excellent feedback from passengers, who seem pleased that we've provided a genuinely flexible bus service that really does meet their needs."

Awards director Chris Cheek, said: "The Bus Industry Awards has always maintained that every finalist is a winner, and the results this year prove that point.

"Such strong competition underlines the exceptional achievement of this year's finalists."

Cango bus services also operate in the New Forest, Hart, Basingstoke and Leigh Park areas.